The Cody Rhodes Story Thread (IT'S OVER)

[The Captain]

Leave Ava alone you vultures.

[UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm]

Ava is awesome, f*** off to anyone being even slightly mean to her.

[Gawk Rivers]

YOU'RE LUCKY SHE EVEN PERFORMS FOR YOU BASTARDS

[The Heartbreak TWERK]

Threatening another person is not acceptable.

There is a practice on social media to block out the names of people who do this and just show what they said. That practice needs to end.

If you behave like a sack of shit, you should be outed for it.

[The Captain]

The real tribalism is the NXT brigade riding or dying for the GM of our Tuesday horny time show.

[HIM]

She didn't even do shit. Idiot fans.

[Rolent Tex]

Yes because if there’s one way to NOT get the Rock to spite us all and keep this thing going is to threaten his daughter. What a bunch of chodes.

[Tea & Crumpets]

Feb 5, 2024 15:08:12 GMT -5 BRV said:

Feb 5, 2024 14:23:22 GMT -5 chazraps said:

I'm still pissed at the douchebag hobby cop that got Killer Mike "citizen's arrested" at the Grammys over alleged "misdemeanor battery" that Mike "shoved him" when entering the building. Such bullshit.

And I'm upset with Mike's friend Cody really getting f***ed here too. And the absolute most insufferable bad faith bad taste perspectives of Oshea Jackson Jr and the former Top Dolla saying what a good idea Rock-Roman at Mania this year is just makes it worse and should be a big red flag they're on the wrong side of history.

Thank goodness there's alternatives. But this isn't about alternatives, it's not even about wanting a better WWE. It's about wanting WWE to continue with what they were doing that we liked that's been derailed for no justifiable reason.

Really think about this in a vacuum: They found a way to get The Rock boo'ed. Regardless his past few movies and polarizing inoffensive public comments and newfound passion for franchising/shilling - he's still someone people were happy to see pop up. An unproblematic legend. One of the absolute top box office stars in the world.

And they found a way to get a match he's in widely hated at the mere prospect of it. At the potential expense of both the newfound fans they've found through Cody's run, the lapsed fans who just like Cody and want to follow him, and the longtime fans who stuck through those needlessly terrible pandemic shows for whom this could really be their Kamp Krusty moment of finally bailing.

In terms of storyline/television entertainment - this sucks. In terms of cheering on a medium of entertainment you want to thrive - this sucks. Even from the perspective of a brand you enjoy that you want to see do well and continue to improve into a sustainably entertaining future - this sucks.

But at least Killer Mike has three Grammys. That can't be taken away. Unless that's what Damien Priest cashes in on. f***.

Wrestling fans as a whole aren’t upset with the what in this instance, but the how.

The Rock vs. Roman Reigns should be a WrestleMania main event, regardless of The Rock not wrestling in over a decade and his propensity to be completely out of gas within 90 seconds of any action happening around him. But it’s how we’re getting there that’s drawing the ire of the most fans.

Had The Rock simply waltzed in to the Royal Rumble as entrant no. 30 and won the match, there absolutely would have been fans grumbling and grousing, but it eventually would have subsided – not unlike the immediate aftermath of the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble and Brock Lesnar’s inevitable victory. Had the WWE taken that route, then fans would have eventually found themselves begrudgingly accepting the main event of WrestleMania XL.

But, again, it’s the how that got us here. If reports are to be believed, The Rock essentially staged a coup of WWE, using his power to insert himself into the main event with a cabal of WWE/TKO higher-ups supporting him along the way. Never in wrestling history has there been an instance of a performer using backstage power and clout for themselves and the fans liking or accepting it. That’s before we get into the fact that The Rock allegedly used this power play to usurp the role of Cody Rhodes, one of the most genuinely beloved and popular babyfaces in all of wrestling.

For someone as conscious of his public image and who is seemingly so willing to go out of his way to make himself the good guy, I don’t know how The Rock could be blindsided by the fans’ reaction to this approaching trainwreck. He got his “welcome back” pop in Birmingham last Friday night, but that’s about as nice as the fans are going to be to him unless WWE pivots and pivots soon. He’s going to face legitimate, unrelenting boos from live audiences the likes of which he hasn’t heard since he was Corporate Rock. And he has no one to blame but himself.

Again, because it’s not about the what. It’s the how.

I disagree slightly on the Rock/Roman point just because I don't think Mania needs it, I think the smartest move is put it on a show that otherwise might not draw so big- I'd go B-show but certainly a Summerslam or Survivor Series. Don't do it for the title because that 99% telegraphs that Roman's winning (But there is a small, increasing possibility Rock vanity books himself to the title as the conquering hero). Rock/Roman simply to be head of the family will draw a LOT of people to a show, Mania sells itself these days but Rock/Roman at a smaller show, packed in a big stadium to justify it, would provide a bigger revenue bump relative to how much you gain versus what you get anyway, by running it at Mania.

The consolation I'm taking from this is that if they ever did Cody/Rock, you have such a built in story- Cody as a character/person is everything Rock wants to be, presents himself as, but lost pursuing Hollywood- he's the son of a successful star yes but he built his career up his own way after being rejected by management, and became a genuinely beloved, meat & potatoes white-bread babyface. Not that they'd do this, Rock would almost certainly demand Cody turn heel given what's gone down. But Cody is the lightning in a bottle that Vince spent 10 years chasing with Cena- he's a wholesome, clean cut, straightforward babyface, with vague patriotic undertones, who appeals to the ENTIRE audience- adults, kids, casual fans, hardcore fans, he moves a ton of merch he hits every business metric you could want and he's a very good (if very corporate) brand ambassador.

It's insane to me that here's this guy who is everything the company has wanted for so long, and they're binning him off to keep Rock and his family happy.

[Renslayer]

Feb 5, 2024 15:23:16 GMT -5 markymark said:

Why are fans going at her, she has nothing to do with his fathers business...

Besides it just being wack in general, what does harassing her even accomplish? It winds up having the opposite effect and makes the goal you want even harder to achieve. Jesus

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

I hope this is an instance where it’s a few weirdos she’s calling out and not a large group.

[Zombie Mod]

Feb 5, 2024 15:49:31 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Can I at least wish for the people making death threats to be made homeless?

no you may not.

[Goldash #BLM]

This makes me tremendously upset. Ava has enough pressure to deal with (much like the children of the Flairs and Rhodses and Wattses and Ortons before her).

These trolls, literally threatening the daughter over the "sins" of the father, are the worst of our fanbase. Time for GM Ava to lay down the law and send them all to the NXT parking lot.

[Snaptastic]

Whoever is going after his daughter are a bunch of f***ing degenerates.

As it is, for me Rock was my guy growing up watching WWF as it was in the late 90s/early 00s. He was the last person I thought would go full Hulk Hogan, but here we are...

Also, it's quite clear this was planned before the Rumble. I don't even get why you'd have Cody win it at that point.

[ben:friendship frog]

I don't doubt there's a small handful of bellends saying awful stuff, and they should be dealt with.

However, posts like "These Cody fans are going too far! #WeWantRocky" are slowly taking over timelines, people are using a tiny handful of c***s to use for their agenda and how no one should listen to any Cody fans or wrestling fans in general.

[Snaptastic]

Feb 5, 2024 16:17:01 GMT -5 ben:friendship frog said:

I don't doubt there's a small handful of bellends saying awful stuff, and they should be dealt with.

However, posts like "These Cody fans are going too far! #WeWantRocky" are slowly taking over timelines, people are using a tiny handful of c***s to use for their agenda and how no one should listen to any Cody fans or wrestling fans in general.

Of course, however, this is where you have to tread a fine line between saying let's not go overboard and outright dismissing possible death threats as just saying stuff.

[lionheart21]

Feb 5, 2024 15:23:16 GMT -5 markymark said:

Why are fans going at her, she has nothing to do with his fathers business...

The f*** is wrong with these people?

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Feb 5, 2024 15:44:28 GMT -5 The Captain said:

The real tribalism is the NXT brigade riding or dying for the GM of our Tuesday horny time show.

NXT born, NXT bred, and when I die I'll be NXT dead. Despite being born decades before NXT was a thing.

You don't come for the NXT GM. She doesn't have shit to do with The Rock putting Hogan and HBK to shame. Leave her the f*** alone.

And this isn't exclusive to wrestling fans. I'm a Star Wars fan, and holy shit the fandom can be toxic, the shit thrown at Kathleen Kennedy, Kelly Marie Tran, and Daisy Ridley was disgusting. It's one thing to say you don't think they're doing a great job, but don't threaten them. Fandoms can get very f***ing toxic.

[papagiorgio]

There are some people with some serious mental issues in all fan bases including wrestling. 99.99% of the time they don't mean it, but they never should say such things. If you are a public figure, it is going to happen to you at some point. I'm all for banning or even prosecuting those who do it on social media or elsewhere. I really don't think a few bad seeds should get everyone else thrown in with them who disagree with the booking. Some are too quick to label one entire side toxic because of these few bad seeds.

[markymark]

Alvarez: "There were some pro-Cody signs on NXT (Vengeance Day) and I was told they were planted..."

If it true then they really want Cody to be like 2014 Danielson....

[wildojinx]

Feb 5, 2024 16:56:29 GMT -5 markymark said:

Alvarez: "There were some pro-Cody signs on NXT (Vengeance Day) and I was told they were planted..."

If it true then they really want Cody to be like 2014 Danielson....

Nick Bakay was right, they DO hand out signs!